On Sunday, October 9, the universal language of music takes center stage during the 13th annual World Festival at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "The World Festival celebrates the wonderful cultures in our community," says Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Vice President of Planning and External Affairs Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm. "We get to enjoy music from around the world in a world-renowned Museum. What could be better!"

The celebration of culture will fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's main lobby from noon to 4 pm, as the greater Cleveland area's diverse ethnic communities come together to share traditions and musical legacies. The region's rich cultural mosaic will be complemented by musicians that include African Soul International, R&B vocal group Artistree, Brazilian jazz artist Moises Borges (pictured below), the Puerto Rican tropical band stylings of Nano Cabrera, Native American rockers Native Reign, lively Ancient South Indian dance by Mahima Venkatesh, traditional Greek dance by Sts. Constantine and Helenic Senior Hellenic Dancers, Middle Eastern dance by Wind and Sand Dance Company, and the sounds of Cleveland-based The Vernon Jones Blues Cartel. The 2011 World Festival will be hosted by Washington Party, Neo Encendio and Martin Leija of 89.1 FM Maxima. A variety of arts and crafts vendors will showcase their designs at the festival, including Puerto Rican artist Wanda Cordero and Matthew Richards, who creates Asian-inspired pottery and abstracts at his Ryu No Sakebi studio in Cleveland.

"We're excited to again host the World Festival, as it celebrates the cultures and traditions that help give Northeast Ohio its unique character," says Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum President and CEO Terry Stewart. "Bringing diverse groups of people together through song and dance is exactly what our museum is about. World music has been echoed in popular music through the ages, with legacies and roots that continue to shape and define genres, including rock and roll."

The World Festival is part of an ongoing community festival series at the Rock Hall that offers the opportunity for Cleveland’s diverse communities to learn more about the variety of music genres and cultures the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates. The series also includes the Martin Luther King Jr. festival in January, Rock Your World Festival in partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District in May, Rock and Soul Festival in June and Latino Heritage Festival in August. This year’s World Festival is also part of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl’s World Music Days, which uses the power of music to reaffirm commitment to peace around the globe. "We wanted to celebrate this wonderful melting pot of ethnicities in Cleveland," says Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Director of Community Programs Ruthie Brown. "We wanted everyone to take ownership of the Museum."

The World Festival is a free event, however paid admission is necessary to tour the Rock Hall's exhibits. The community festivals series is proudly sponsored by Amtrak, KeyBank and Ohio Natural Gas. For more information, click here.

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